1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vanity case of the type in which a receptacle member and a cover member are hinged together at respective rear ends there of, and the cover member is maintained in a closed position with respect to the receptacle member by engagement of a first latch means formed on the receptacle member with a second latch means formed on the cover member, and more specifically to an improved releasing mechanism for such engaging means.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When a vanity case of this type has a latch means whose engagement is weak, it is likely that the cover member may open accidentally, or that cosmetic material in the receptacle may be contaminated by dust because of inadequate sealing. Therefore it is necessary to form the latch means of such dimensions and configuration that they will engage each other tightly. However, the tighter the engagement between the latch means, the greater the force required for and thus the more difficulty in releasing the engagement. Therefore, in order to release the engagement by a slight force, various types of releasing mechanisms have been proposed.
One example of such vanity case is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 60-18167. In this vanity case, a recess is formed at a front marginal portion of a receptacle member, and in each side wall defining the recess is provided a hole into which is inserted a boss projecting from each side of a finger piece so that the finger piece may be pivotted within the recess. A thrust part formed at the inner end of the finger piece is adapted to abut the underside of the cover member so that, when the finger piece is rotated, the thrust part can exert an upward force to the cover member to thereby release the engagement. Another example of vanity case having a releasing mechanism is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-12005 in which a support is provided inside a receptacle member. At each side of the support is formed a groove into which is fitted a boss projecting from each side of an operation member whereby the latter is pivotally secured to the support. When the outer part of the operation member is pushed, its inner part thrusts up the cover member.
However, in the former vanity case (No. 60-18167) the rotation or swing motion of the finger piece is performed mainly within the recess in the receptacle member. Therefore, in order to increase the swing stroke of the piece for an improved releasing operation, the dimensions of the recess must be enlarged to result in the vanity case itself becoming bulky. Further, both of the above vanity cases include the boss and the holes or grooves for receiving the boss, which requires a mold die of complicated structure and thus involves high manufacturing cost. Additionally, dimensional irregularity tends to occur in forming the small-diametered parts such as bosses and holes, resulting in a high rate of defective products. There is also a known vanity case which may solve these problems by using a separately formed pin for securing a finger piece. However, this structure exposes the ends of the pin to visual access with resultant degraded external appearance. Further, the increased number of the parts takes up a great deal of time in manufacture and assembly.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a vanity case whose engaging latch means can be released by a very easy operation.
Another object of the invention is to provide a vanity case which can be efficiently manufactured without the need of any complicated mold dies, and which can be easily assembled.